Mounting for fan assemblies



Oct. 19, 1948.

R. K. ODOR MOUNTING FOR FAN ASSEMBLIES Filed March 3, 1945 Wntenteni I.

roa FAN ASSEMBLIES T momma Ralph K. Odor, Edmond, Okla... assignor to The Vornado Trust, Oklahoma City, th., a ilduciary trust of Oklahoma Application March 3,1945, Serial No. 580,812

1 This invention relates to a mounting for electric fans and more particularly'to devices for ad-' justably supporting the motorfan unit.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a mounting of simple and eilicient form and ineluding-novel and effective means for absorbing vibrations and for adjusting the blade to differentangles as may be required.

The invention further resides in the novel structural details and arrangements hereinafter described and illustrated in the attached drawings wherein: a I

Figure 1 is a sectional elevational view illustrating a mounting made-in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a fan uni-t;

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the pa] element of the mount structure, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational and partial sectional view showing the element of Figure 3 in its relation to the fan motor.

front elevational view of the motorprinci- With reference to the drawings, the fan unit comprises essentially an electric motor I and an impeller 2 in the form, in the present instance,'of a fan of the radial blade type. The impeller as shown in attached to the motor shaft in proximity to one end of the motor housing. In.accordance with the invention, the motor I is supported within an annular member I, the general form of whichis best illustrated in Figure 3. This mem-' ber consists essentiallyof ametallic sleeve 4 which is split as indicated at 5, the terminaledges of the sleeve at opposite sides of the split-extending outwardly to form terminal flanges 6--'B. These flanges are apertured for reception of fastening elements hereinafter described. The sleeve 4 is provided with four corresponding openings, one of which isshown at I in Figure 3, and at each of these openings is attached, as by welding, an internally threaded tubular element which projectsout-wardly in a generally radial direction beyond the outer surface of the sleeve. These four tubular projections have been designated in the drawings by the reference numerals 8, 9, III and I I respectively. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 4 that the openings 1 and the aforesaid associated tubular elements are not uniformly spaced about the center of the sleeve 4, the members! and 9 each being 45 removed from and at opposite sides of the vertical, and the members I0 and I I being only'30 removed from the vertical. The

'1 Claims. (Cl. 248-26) 1 Ject inwardly somewhat beyond the inner surpurpose of this arrangement will be hereinafter described.

face of the sleeve 4. The members I2 are retained in their respective cylinderretainers by a threaded disc-like closure element I2 which is threaded into the outer end of the cylinder, the said disc closure being provided with a socket I4 for reception of a turningwrehch. The position of. the resilient member I 2 in the cylinder and the extent to which it projects beyond the inner surface of the member 4 may be adjusted through the medium of the threaded retainer I3. Each of the members I2 is provided with a central bore or recess for reception of a motor-retaining mem-' ber II, this member taking the form of a washerlike disc It having at its outer side a stem H which rojects into the bore It and having at the opposite side a shorter projection I! which enters a recess 20 in the outer surface of the housing of the motor. This is clearly shown in Fig. 4. By this means the motor I is supported within the sleeve 4 in spaced relation to the latter and in suspension between the four resilient members I2.

It is to be noted in this respect that the tapered form of the inner ends of the members I 2 provide clearance between the said inner ends and the walls of the associated cylinders, l, 8, III and II, respectively, thus affording a degree of freedom for fiexure of said members in the transverse direction; that is to say, laterally of the axial centerlines of said cylinders. The aforesaid clearance also'affords freedom for compression of the members l2 radially of the sleeve. As previously indicated, the initial compression of the members I2 against the motor housing may be regulated by adjustment of the threaded closure elements II.

The sleeve 4 is adapted to be supported upon a curved strap-like member 2|, this member preferably being made of a material having some degree of resilience to thereby provide additional means for absorption of vibration in the motorfan unit. One end of the strap 2| is secured be tween the flanges 8-0 of the sleeve 4 by means of bolts 22 which pass through at the apertures 23 in the flanges and through registering apertures in the member 2|. The member-2| is slldeably supported in the upper end of a standard 22, said upper end being slotted for reception of the strap element 2I and also for reception of a pair of clamping elements 24 and 24a, which engage the opposite faces respectively of the member 2| and which may be clamped solidly upon the said member through the medium of a screw 25 threaded into the-top of the standard. By adjustment of the member-.2 I in the standard", the angularity of the fan with respect to the horizontal may be regulated as required for directing the air in the desired path. As shown in Fig. 1 the standis secured to the base and which telescopically receives the upper member 29 of the standard. This member 29 may be adjusted for height within the member 20 and is held in adiusted position by means of a locking screw 80.

In the present instance the fan assembly comprises a pair of funnel-shaped tubular flanges ii and 22 whichare calculated to increase the emciency of the fan in accordance with the principles set forth in my United States Patent No. 2,330,907, dated October ii, 1943. For the p se of supporting these flanges If and I2, the sleeve 4 is provided with radial arms 33, which are arranged with their narrow sections in planes intersecting the axis of the assembly so as to afford a minimum resistance to passage of air through the flange 3i and to the outer ends of which the said flange is secured. Similar arms 34 are attached to and extend from the outside of the flange 2| as supporting means for the flange 32.

The form and functional nature of the mounting will be apparent from the foregoing description. It is to be noted particularly that the device aifords a strong and stable mounting for the relatively bulkyfan assembly including the motor i, the fan 2, and the tubular flanges ii and I2,

and provides for absorption of the vibrations set up in this assembly during operation of the fan a well as for ready adjustment of the fan to different angular positions on the supporting standard. It is to be noted that the resilient members I! operate in shear to take up vibrating movements of the motor-fan unit of both torsional and axial character, and in compression to absorb the radial vibrations. The members thus exhibit high efllciency in the vibration absorbing function. The irregular spacing of the resilient members described above has the efl'ect of dampin the vibrations.

The structure lends itself readily to manufacture from sheet materials and to fabrication by welding methods. The sleeve 4, for example, may be made of sheet metal stock of sufllcient gage to insure substantial risidity, and the cylindrical elements I, I, I and il may be sections of tubing and may be welded in place in the apertures of the sleeve 4. Similarly, the flanges 0-. may, if desired, be separately formed and welded to the extremities of the sleeve 4, and the arms 33,. formed also from sheet metal stock, may be welded to the surface of the sleeve. The arms 33 and 34 may be secured in any desired manner to the flange elements 3| and 32, and the latter preferably are of a character to reduce to a minimum resonance arising from vibration.

There may be some modification in the detailsof construction without departure from the invention as defined in the appended, claims.

I claim:-

1. In a mounting for electric motors, a support structure having an annularv series of substantially radial pockets, a resilient member seated in and projecting from each of said pockets toward the center of the annulus so as to bear against the casing of and, jointly, to resiliently support said motor in the structure, and an element embedded in each of said members and projectingradially from the inner end thereof for interlock- 4 in claim 1 wherein the sists of a radially disposed pin of relatively small diameter-as compared with the associated resilient member, said pin having intermediate its ends a transverse shoulder for seating engagement with a confronting surface of said member.

4. A mounting for electric motors as deflned inclaim 1 wherein each of the said resilient members is tapered so that the inner end thereof is of materially lesser diameter than the outer end.

5. A mountin for electric motors as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the said resilient members is tapered so that theinner end thereof is of materially lesser diameter than the outer end and wherein further the resilient member is unconfined and free for transverse movement in all directions over the major portion of its length from the said inner end thereof.

e. In a mounting for electric motors, a support structure having an annular series of substantially radial pockets, a resilient member seated in and projecting from each of said pockets toward the center of the annulus so as to bear against the casing of and, jointly, to resiliently support said motor in the structure, a pin of relatively small diameter embedded in each of said members and projecting radially from the inner end thereof for interlocking engagement with said casing to anchor the motor to said members, each tlon of the member.

'7. In a mounting for electric motors, a support structure having an annular series of substantially radial pockets, a resilient'member seated in and projecting from each of said pockets toward the center of the annulus so as to bear against the casing of and, jointly, to resiliently support said motor in the structure, said members being tapered so that the inner ends thereof are of materially lesser diameter than the outer ends, and said members being unconflned and free for transverse movement in all directions over the major portion of their lengths from the inner end thereof, an element embedded in each of said members and projecting radially from the inner end thereof for interlocking engagement with said casing to anchor the motor to said members, and adjustable means for-placing the members under longitudinal compression between the bottoms of the said pockets and the casing-of the motor.

RALPH-K. ODOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 407,340 Faries' July 23, 1839 663,537 Furniss Dec. 11, 1900 1,176,184 Venter s Mar. 21 1910 2,144,848 Miller Jan. 24, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 143,349 Switzerland Jan. 10, 1931 486,333 Great Britain June 2, 1933 700,405 France Feb. 28, 1931 818,813 France Oct. 4, 1937 said anchor element eon- 

